The four-and-a-half mile Grand National steeplechase marathon is the pinnacle of each sporting year. Millions of people tune in and attend to enjoy the heart-warming storylines and thrilling finishes, as horse and rider work as one to defeat the fences at Aintree.
The John Smith’s Grand National for 2012 will be held on Saturday, April 14th at Aintree Racecourse. Two previous Grand National winners will be looking for a repeat, including 2009 winner Mon Mome and last year’s victor Ballabriggs.
As of today, there are over 80 pre-entries for the 2012 event, including 31 that are trained right in Ireland, 12 of which are led by the country’s top trainer; Willie Mullins. Among his best runners is one of the current favorites, Prince de Beauchene.
Entrants that have previous victories over the Aintree course are December’s Becher Chase winner West End Rocker, Grand Sefton Handicap Chase winner Stewarts House, and Always Waining, who won both the 2010 and 2011 Topham Chase.
My choice for the Grand National 2012 horse race is:
Prince de Beauchene
Prince won last year’s Handicap Chase at Aintree, a victory worth $34,000 to his connections. Trailed by contenders Great Endeavour and Bensalem, this race turned out to be his last in the Howard Johnson barn, as Johnson has retired from training. Now trained by Willie Mullins, Prince de Beauchene will face only five additional pounds compared to his previous Aintree victories, so the handicapper has been lenient in that respect, despite his recent success. After impressive runs in January’s Navan and February’s Bobbyjo Chase, Prince is currently one of the betting favorites for the 2012 Grand National.
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